Bati (Fiji)

Bati (Fiji)

Bati are the traditional warriors of the Fiji Islands the word itself loosely translated means soldier, bodyguard in Fijian. [cite web
url=http://www.geocities.com/fijidictionary/fijian_eng_dict.html
title=Fijian - English Dictionary
publisher=
accessdate=2007-02-05
] it is derived from the word meaning teeth or edge and In old Fiji two types of subjection were recognized called Qali and Bati [Fiji and the Fijians P16] [Neither Cargo Nor CultP26,27] , The Qali was a province or town subject to a Chief town and Bati denotes those which are not directly subject but less respected than the Qali [Fiji and the Fijians P16] [Neither Cargo Nor CultP26,27] , the Bati bordered an area subject to the Chief and provided him with a service [Neither Cargo Nor CultP26,27] , and from here derives the terms Mataqali and Bati.

Bati is now understood in Fijian Culture as the term for the island's traditional warrior class or caste [Fiji Handbook of the Colony, P18] [From Election to Coup in Fiji,P204 a translation of the word Bati] . The Bati are traditionally among the strongest FijiansFact|date=December 2007.

Each Fijian village has an intricate traditional infrastructure and a Chieftain will have a Bati Clan traditionally aligned with him.

Warrior Caste

There were several class of warrior or Bati, for example you could have Bati Balavu, these warriors would be the outer guard and would guard the chief from a great distance, then you would have Bati Leka these were the inner guard and bodyguards of the Chief, there was also Bati Kadi [Tales from Old Fiji, By Lorimer Fison, Published 1907, P 20, 21] which were mercenaries for hire [Tales from Old Fiji, By Lorimer Fison, Published 1907, P 20, 21] .

Footnotes

References

*Fiji Handbook of the Colony: Special Wartime Issue, By Leonard G Usher, Published 1943, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized 23 Nov 2005.

*From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and Its Aftermath, By Jonathan Fraenkel, Stewart Firth
* [http://books.google.com.fj/books?id=1kxCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA16&dq=Bati+Fiji&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1#PPA16,M1Fiji and the Fijians] , By Thomas Williams, James Calvert
* [http://books.google.com.fj/books?id=3ey0ms3khaAC&pg=PA27&dq=Bati+Fiji&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=-wl0LnlNA8nOFjYAAYa8dvtyUrc#PPA27,M1 Neither Cargo Nor Cult] : Ritual Politics and the Colonial Imagination in Fiji, by Martha Kaplan

*Tales from Old Fiji, By Lorimer Fison, Published 1907 A. Moring ltd., the Dela More press, Folklore, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized 13 Dec 2006


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fiji national rugby league team — Infobox rugby league nation Name = Fiji Badge = Fiji National Rugby league team.jpg Badge size = 100px Nickname = The Bati Association = Fiji Rugby League Region = Oceania Coach = flagicon|Fiji Jo Rabele Captain = Most caps = Top scorer = Home… …   Wikipedia

  • Fiji — For other uses, see Fiji (disambiguation). Republic of Fiji Matanitu ko Viti  (Fijian) Fijī Ganarājya फ़िजी गणराज्य   (Fiji Hindi) …   Wikipedia

  • Culture of Fiji — Fiji s culture is a tapestry of indigenous Fijian, Indian, European, Chinese, and other nationalities. Culture polity, traditions, language, food, costume, belief system, architecture, arts, craft, music, dance and sports which will be discussed… …   Wikipedia

  • Daryl Millard — Personal information Nickname Magic Born 20 February 1985 …   Wikipedia

  • Meli Koliavu — Personal information Born 24 July 1989 (1989 07 24) (age 22) Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) Weight 96 kg (15 st 2 lb) Playing information …   Wikipedia

  • Taukei ni Waluvu — is the Fijian traditional chiefly title of the matagali turaga(chiefly clan) Siko Nabena or tokatoka Natabutale of Nairukuruku village. Also leading chief of the district of Matailobau, Naitasiri. Matailobau according to Fergus Clunie being one… …   Wikipedia

  • Fijian traditions and ceremonies — Fijian tradition and ceremony is a living way of life that has remained intact for millennia, evolving as the Fijian nation has modernised over time, with various external influences from Pacific neighbours, and European and Asian society. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Sharks — Union Fiji Rugby Union Coach(es) Rayne Simpson Junior League(s) Colonial Cup Northern Sharks are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji s premier rugby …   Wikipedia

  • Naitasiri Province — see also Naitasiri District Naitasiri is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji s largest island. Contents 1 Geography and infrastructure 2 Economy 3 Politics and History …   Wikipedia

  • Akuila Uate — Infobox rugby league biography playername = Akuila Uate fullname = Akuila Uate nickname = Aku, the Eagle, Wati, Aquila, Fijian flyer caption = country = position = Wing currentclub = leagueicon|Newcastle|size=16 Newcastle Knights dateofbirth =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”